FIRST LOOK: This Is The 2013 Viper In All Its Venomous Glory

I have to admit, I was anticipating one car more than any other
at the New York Auto Show.

That car? The brand-new, 2013 SRT
Viper.

Chrysler's new ties with Ferrari paired with the teaser images
that have been appearing online over the last few weeks made me
incredibly excited for this unveiling.

And it was better than I expected.

First off, the 2013 Viper has a chassis that is 50 percent
stiffer and a body that is nearly all carbon fiber. Under the
hood, the Viper keeps the 8.4 liter V10 engine, but it now makes
640 horsepower and an absolutely outrageous 600 pound feet of
torque.

All that torque will be enough to convert the all new Pirelli
tires into smoke in record time. Speaking of those tires, they
are 355 millimeters wide in the rear, 295 in the front. For those
of you that know cars, these tires are simply massive.

Travis Okulski / Business
Insider

For the first time ever, the Viper has stability control,
traction control, launch control, cruise control, and various
other types of control. This I'm not as excited about, but
federal regulations are requiring new cars have these safety
features.

But how does it look? At first glance, this car is unmistakably a
Viper. Low and wide, it looks like nothing else on the road. But
it is also a more refined, flowing design than the last car. I'm
smitten.

On the inside, the interior now has a more premium, bespoke feel
than the cars of old. Ralph Gilles, CEO of SRT, said that it used
materials from Ferrari and Maserati. I believe it.

The street car looks great. Chrysler: I need to drive this now.

But why did I say street car? Well, at the beginning of the press
conference, I spotted a skinny, bald man in the front of the
audience. It was Scott Atherton, the CEO of the American Le Mans
Series.

I sent out this tweet 15 minutes before the press conference
started:

At the end of the press conference, this was driven on stage and
I was proven very right:

Travis Okulski / Business
Insider

Viper is once again going to war with the Corvette on the race
track, and I couldn't be happier. Drivers for the new GTS-R are
Marc Goosens, Dominik Farnbacher, Kuno Wittmer, and IndyCar ace
Ryan Hunter-Reay.

I'm not sure who will be managing the team, but IndyCar team
owners Roger Penske and Eric Bachelart were both on hand for the
unveiling. The Viper is expected to hit the track
later this year.

Please be by July 4 so I can see it race at Lime Rock Park. I'll
leave you with a close look at the front end of the new GTS-R: